Changing Things Up Caribbean Cruise Style

To quote someone that I know and love ...

''Taking a cruise is like living with lemmings.''

In order to give you further insight into my husband's humor ...

A lemming is a small rodent who, according to popular myth, migrates in large numbers in order to find new, more inviting habitats. At times, the desire to find a better life or a more favorable food source leads them across deep bodies of water or over the side of high cliffs with some not-so-favorable results.

In this case, they all invade the pool area ...

good luck finding an empty lounge chair!

Thirty-three years ago when we took our first cruise, Doug likened our experience to spending a week with lemmings. The two thousand plus passengers moved in perfect rhythm from the pool area to the dining room to the theater. As parents of an active toddler, we were hoping that our first cruise would provide some much needed alone time, yet we felt like we were living with a ship full of lemmings ...

Did the ship just tilt when they announced that the midnight buffet on the starboard side was open??

In those days we were definitely styling

with my 80's perm and,

in Doug's case, a full head of hair!

After that experience, the family car, camping, and ski trips became our preferred form of vacation. Seeing all the beautiful natural areas that make up our country definitely had a positive influence on our pursuing the RV lifestyle. But recently, we found ourselves in Florida with some spare time before our next scheduled Habitat for Humanity build,

... and we heard the call of the sea.

Looking online, we found some tempting ''last minute''cruise deals. A Western Caribbean five day cruise on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas caught our eye. Leaving from Port Canaveral, the itinerary included two days at sea as well as a stop in Cozumel, Mexico and on the cruise line's private island, Coco Cay, in the Bahamas

for only $177 per person.

Almost too good of a deal to turn down, except when one figures in the ''hidden'' costs of:

Port fees and taxes: $125 per person for our cruise

Gratuities: $16 per person per day

Parking for Baby Beest: $18 per day

On board drinks: from $12 to $18 per drink

''Special'' meals onboard (yes, Doug, you can have the lobster and filet mignon upgrade) 

Shore Excursions

Souvenirs 

Etc, Etc, Etc

... our five day adventure would end up costing just over $1000. But we were curious. With the popularity of cruise vacations, what has changed in the thirty-three years since we last saw some ''Love Boat'' action? We decided to find out as we changed things up ...

Caribbean Cruise Style!

One of the first things that struck us is that ships have gotten even larger over the years. Our ship has a capacity for 4000 lemmings ... oh, I mean passengers ... along with a crew of 1200. But along with the greater capacity, we also found that there are more areas on the ship for people to hang out. Instead of one main dining room, we had three huge levels of dining space along with a number of other dining locations ... some of which are a part of the cruise meal program and others which cost ''extra'' for an upgrade in food, views, and intimacy.

The ship's Windjammer Buffet was always open for those who wanted to forgo the ''formality'' of the main dining area and just get to the heart the cruise experience ... eating a lot of good food. 

Cruising ''pros'' bypass the fresh fruit area

in the morning and head right for the

bacon, eggs, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls.

Let Us Entertain You

The ship's entertainment style and locations also changed to more comfortably accommodate the greater number of passengers. The main evening entertainment took place in the large Royal Theater, but there was other high quality entertainment available in many of the ship's smaller gathering areas. Each evening they offered two performances of their main entertainment show. Because the performance lasted only 45 minutes, there was usually plenty of time to take in the other top notch shows, music, and entertainment in the smaller locations around the ship. We enjoyed the cruise line's ...

Orchestra, singers, and dancers,

Juggling expert, Albert Lucas,

whose 10-ring juggling feat

set another Guinness World Record,

''magical'' comedy show featuring

magician Bill Cook and a shy,

and very cute audience participant,

delightful ''clowning around'' during

the Ice Under the Big Top ice show,

energetic small bands that filled the

cozy night clubs with classic rock,

as well as the catchy salsa beats

 of a band from Colombia, South America.

I need to talk Doug into taking salsa dance lessons with me!

With so many dining and entertainment options, our on-board activities didn't seem to have the same ''lemming'' feel to it as when we took our first cruise. With temps in the 80s and abundant sunshine, the pool deck was always a popular place during the day. But even there, the huge deck provided a number of comfortable loungers for our favorite cruise activities ... relaxing and people-watching.

Guess who is the relaxer

and who is the people-watcher?

But the best entertainment by far was not necessarily ''planned'' by Royal Caribbean. We were fortunate to have a front row seat for Space X launch a few hours before we departed from Port Canaveral.

Our Accommodations 

On our first cruise, we remember thinking that our state room was a bit ''small''. And twin beds??? On a cruise???

Circa 1989: Doug got all the information

that he needed from reading the

cruise line's daily newspaper.

Well, we were happy to see that both communication styles and cruise accommodations have improved over the years. All our information about entertainment, activities, and meals was easily accessible on our smart phone using the Royal Caribbean app. Our inside state room with bathroom, shower, double closet, desk, mini-fridge, and TV was HUGE! ... OK, as current van-dwellers, that's not saying much. But the king size bed instead of two twins  ... a definite upgrade!

Are You Hungry?

During our first cruise, we remember the food and dining experience taking center stage. Jump ahead thirty-three years ... and cruise food is still the shining star! We were originally assigned the late dining option (8 pm), but we were able to change into the 5:30 time slot when we boarded the ship.

Always fun to share the day's adventures

with our dinner partners and new friends!

My goal was to try any food that I would never make in our van ... which basically included almost everything on the menu. Each evening there were four ''special'' appetizers, main dishes, and desserts to choose from as well as four ''classic'' choices that stayed on the menu every night. Among my favorites were the crab cakes, coconut shrimp, prime rib, steak Diane, beef tenderloin, beef short ribs, lamb shank, Mississippi mud pie, and tiramisu. Doug was in food heaven with the the fresh seafood options and creme brulée.

Each course

was a true

work of art!

A Perfect Day in Coco Cay

One of the highlights that we recalled from our first cruise was the day spent on the cruise line's private island. We picked this cruise with the goal of checking out Royal Caribbean's private peace of paradise ... and once again, it didn't disappoint.

Coco Cay is a small island in the Bahamas that has been transformed into the cruise line's waterpark playground. Because two of Royal Caribbean's ships were docked there that day, however, Doug's dreams of snorkeling were quenched when he found out that their snorkel gear had all been previously rented out. Lesson learned: reserve ahead of time using the online app or better yet, bring our own equipment, as one can buy a fairly nice snorkel set for less than the $45 that they charge to rent their equipment for the day. 

I was more than happy to lounge

on the beach after enjoying a 

barbecued chicken picnic.

Later we enjoyed Caribbean music and sunshine

alongside the largest fresh water pool in the Bahamas.

Yes, it was a perfect day in Coco Cay!

Cozumel, Mexico

Our second port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. With Mexico on our travel radar, we were excited to check out this popular port town for the day. Our goal: to find authentic Mexican street tacos for lunch. But first ...

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Cruise lines offer numerous shoreline excursions to tempt the curious vacationer. We decided that a two hour Atlantis Submarine excursion sounded intriguing ... I personally liked the fact that I could see all sorts of undersea wonders without getting wet or donning scuba gear ... been there, done that, not on my bucket list anymore!  The tour company met us near the cruise line pier and took us by ferry to the submarine awaiting us off shore.

The submarine, designed solely for tourism, was equipped with large portholes for incredible views of the second largest reef in the the world, Chankanaab Reef.  A few curious fish greeted us as the sub began its descent. 

The Atlantis took us 113 feet below the water surface into the underwater wonders of Chankanaab National Park. There we saw ...

schools of colorful fish,

a sunken ship forming an artificial reef,

and a shark hiding between the coral.

Can you spot his tail fin?

After arriving back at the cruise line pier, we weaved our way through the throngs of merchants trying to lure us into their jewelry, gem, tequila, and souvenir shops. I haven't figured out why shopping is such a big part of the cruising experience for some people, but after numerous ''no, gracias'', we managed to find a taxi that took us three miles down the road to the main town square.

There, two blocks off the main strip, a guapo caballero recommended that we try out Cozumel's only craft brewery before directing us to our authentic street tacos at Guisados Taqueria. He did not lead us astray!

The four tacos, fresh guacamole, and two horchata drinks came to $13 and fueled us up sufficiently for the hot and humid, but very scenic three mile walk back to the ship.

Our brief stop at Cozumel gave us a taste for the treasures that await us if and when Doug convinces me to expand RVentures to Mexico someday. But for now, more music, more food, and more entertainment awaited us onboard.

Memories Made

There were a lot of good memories packed into our five days at sea.

Top quality service and attention to detail

was evident from all crew members

including our cabin steward, Santiago, who

created this bedtime bear for us. 

Humor overload abounded during the audience

participation ''Love and Marriage'' game show.

The newlywed couple will live on in infamy

for their brutally honest response to the question:

Where is the most unusual place that you ever ''kissed''?

(I'll gladly fill you in on their answer over a glass of wine someday,

but for now ... let's keep this a family-friendly blog!)

Families are embracing the cruise vacation,

and it is good to see that there were plenty

of activities onboard for passengers of all ages, except for ...

pickleball lovers.

The basketball court on one of the top decks was converted to pickleball courts for a few hours every morning. But the strong winds and lack of lines made this a real challenge. We're hoping that cruise lines take note of America's fastest growing sport and incorporate legit and playable courts in their future ship upgrades.

Reflections on changing things up

Caribbean Cruise Style

Our time onboard passed quickly and soon we found ourselves witnessing the sunrise as the Mariner of the Seas pulled into Port Canaveral at the end of our cruise. We both decided that five days was plenty of time hang out with our fellow lemmings and experience a cruise vacation once again. Many things have changed in thirty-three years, a lot has stayed the same, and quite a few things have improved.

While there were a few times when the crowds seemed to be overwhelming, for the most part, the cruise industry has made improvements to avoid ''lemming'' overload.

There always seemed to be places where

we could enjoy the quiet beauty and serenity of the sea.

Timed arrivals and departures made the embarkment and disembarkment process go very smooth. Multiple shows and multiple venues gave passengers more opportunities to enjoy dining, music, and entertainment in spaces with a more intimate feeling. Royal Caribbean's online app gave us up-to-the-minute information of the ships activities and allowed us to fill our days with as much or as little activity as we wanted.  

And, much to Doug's delight, there was only one ''formal'' evening, which is all the formal wear that he owns!

We realize that hanging out with a ''boat load'' of people still has it challenges ... as we nurse through our ''souvenir'' head colds that we managed to pick up for free. But improvements to the cruise ship design and function allowed us for the most part to ''lose the lemmings'' while enjoying the beauty of the Caribbean.

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